Saria's change
by Hades' Heart
Summary: Saria/Link love story. And Please review it! I mean it! please?
1. Realisations

EDIT (by Hades): Hello everyone. After re-reading my older chapters, I finally realised that there were a LOT of spelling mistakes. So, for all you new readers out there, I fixed them up for this chapter! So... If you notice any in this chapter, please tell me. Anyways, please enjoy, and don't forget to review! ^_^  
  
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"Hey Link!" Saria yelled out to her best friend, as he was about to descend the ladder. She was very surprised to see a fairy follow behind him. "Link, you finally got a fairy. That's great!" Saria said in joy. She was happy, because now Mido would stop giving him such a hard time for having no fairy.  
  
"Link, come on! we have to go see the the Great Deku Tree now!" His little fairy complained, but Link seemed to ignore her.  
  
"Hi Saria." Link said, not really showing much emotion.  
  
"You're going to meet the Great Deku Tree? Wow. That's a great honour." She exclaimed happily "Promise me you'll see me when you get back" She said. Link nodded and ran to go see him.  
  
Saria started to turn around and head back home when her fairy companion Loki, who was covered with a light blue aura spoke up. "You know he's leaving soon, right?" Loki said. Unlike the other cheerful fairies this one was very cynical and his voice sounded just like Mido's, which sometimes really annoyed Saria.  
  
"What do you mean, leaving?"  
  
Loki sighed "I mean leaving the forest." Saria couldn't help but giggle a little at the thought her fairy had.  
  
"Silly. You know Kokiri die if they leave the forest" Loki just stared at her, and it was a good thing that Saria couldn't see his face since he was so small, because he was looking at her as if she was some kind of ignorant idiot. He didn't enjoy the idea of spending his time with a child all of his life. The other fairies really enjoyed it however. Then again, he didn't like other fairies much either.  
  
"How do I put this delicately for you? He's not a Kokiri" He said dully. Again, Saria giggled.  
  
"What do you mean 'not a Kokiri', of course he's a Kokiri!" Saria exclaimed. Again, the look came.  
  
"He's a Hylian, he won't die if he leaves the forest. And I have proof. Number one, all Kokiri's have a fairy guardian the day they're born, he didn't have one until today."  
  
"But he has one now..." Again, the look came. "Do you have anymore proof?" Saria asked. She was quite pleased because this was the first time in her life that she had her fairy dumbstruck.  
  
"No..." He said with a hint of humiliation and defeat in his voice. Saria laughed so much out of joy she fell down. "Oh, shut up! Listen, just trust me. He's going to be leaving soon, so wait for him by the bridge. You'll see!" Loki ordered.  
  
"Fine, let me just get something from my hut."  
  
"What, exactly?"  
  
"Umm... Just a gift I was planning to give to him sometime." Saria, had this gift for him for the longest time and, for some reason, she was always too embarrassed to give it to him.  
  
"You're not talking about the ocarina you made are you?"  
  
"Umm... Yeah." Loki never really saw the point of the present, or why she was always so nervous to give it to him.  
  
"Well hurry up!" He scolded. She ran back to her hut to get the ocarina and left for the bridge.  
  
"You can not pass!" The Kokiri guard yelled. Saria, ignoring the guard, shoved him aside and left for the bridge. They waited there for several hours. Loki was expecting Saria to get impatient by now, but she seemed to be thinking about something really hard. She had a really bad feeling inside of her. She seemed really melancholic about something, she didn't even know what was wrong. Then, they heard footsteps running through the entrance of the bridge and saw Link run by.  
  
"Link?" She asked as he seemed to come to a stop in his steps. Saria noticed that Link now had a sword and a shield. Her fears seemed to have been confirmed. Unfortunately for her, Loki was right. "You're leaving, aren't you?"  
  
"Saria, I'm sorry but I have to go."  
  
Saria was having trouble looking at Link in the eye. She knew she had to give it to him now. Otherwise, she may never get the chance again. "Here." Saria handed him the ocarina she made. "Promise me that you'll come back, alright?"  
  
"I promise." He backed up a couple of steps and ran in the other direction right before saying "Goodbye, Saria." Saria seemed to just stare at the place where Link was standing for a couple of minutes, and then burst out into tears. She jumped off the bridge and ran for the Sacred Forest Meadow. Loki followed her as she was crying, all the way until she stoped at the forest stump and sat down, still crying. For the first time in Loki's life, he felt sorry for Saria.  
  
"You really loved him didn't you?" He asked, Saria nodded sniffling. "Don't worry, he'll come back soon. I promise." As the days passed by, Saria was always sad, unless she was playing her song on her ocarina. One day, while Saria was playing her ocarina, she saw something that made all the sadness, pain and grief go away in a second.  
  
"Saria?" A very familiar voice asked.  
  
"Link?" Saria was about to jump off her stump and hug him but resisted her urges and stayed perfectly still.  
  
"Hey, it's good to see you again." He said with a smile on his face.  
  
'He kept his promise.' Saria thought happily. They talked for several hours and Saria taught him her song. "Now you can talk to me whenever you play that song." She said joyfully.  
  
"Alright, but I've got to go now. Bye!" Link took off quickly.  
  
She was very happy again, now that Link talked to her almost every day. It was just like the old days, but without any visualisations. But one day, she stop hearing from him. Saria thought that maybe he simply forgot or was really busy. But as the days went by, she never heard from Link she started crying again, worrying that Link was dead or forgot her entirely and was now with someone else. Nothing ever cheered her up, even the song that she played didn't make her happy anymore, although it did cheer her up a bit, but not enough to fill that void she felt deep within herself. Then strange voices started calling out her name. She thought they were the spirits of the woods. She could tell that they were coming from the temple. She got up and started trying to climb the tree.  
  
"Saria? What are you doing?" Her fairy companion asked.  
  
"Can't you hear those voices?"  
  
"No..." 'Great, she's finally lost it.' He thought to himself.  
  
"I'm sure I heard something, from in there."  
  
"Uh... Saria? Hearing voices is not a good reason to go wandering into an abandonned temple"  
  
"But something's calling me, I must go." Against her companions warnings and protestations she climbed the tree and entered the temple.  
  
"Alright we're in. Now let's get out!" Loki didn't like this place one bit.  
  
"But something's calling me from over there" She said while walking towards the elevator in the center of the room.  
  
"Saria, let's go now!" Loki did his best to try to get Saria out of the temple. But to no avail. She walked all the way to the elevator and then the four coloured flames on the torches near the elevator started to levitate from the torch and towards Saria. She seemed to be dazzled by the flames as Loki was continuing his protestations. Then the flames turned into poes and grabbed Saria.  
  
"Ahhhh! Link help!" She called her love's name as she was taken away by the poes with Loki following trying his best to stop the poes. Then both Loki and Saria went unconscious and awoken in a dark room.  
  
"I told you not to go in there! But did you listen to me? No!" Loki scolded with sarcasm in his voice. Loki's scolding however came abruptly to an end as they heard Link's familiar voice.  
  
"Saria? Are you there?"  
  
"Link! Thank the goddesses! I'm trapped in the forest temple. Please help me!" Saria said but was cut off when they could no longer communicate. She seemed happier to be in this dark room than she was in the forest meadow because the thought of seeing Link again made her incredibly happy and renewed her heart with hope. After several hours, they were telepoerted out of the dark room and into the Sacred Realm where Saria saw something that seemed to destroy her heart. There in front of her, instead of the young boy she once knew, was a full grown man. Who was almost twice as old as her. She explained everything as if new knowledge and wisdom filled her mind. About her being a sage and not aging and the medallion which was given to Link. Then, both of them were teleported out of the sacred realm. Link, into the entrance of the forest meadow and Saria back at her home. Then, Saria started crying great amounts of new tears, now knowing that the love she has for Link can never be returned, knowing that Destiny will not allow it.  
  
"Saria, what's wrong now?" Loki asked.  
  
"Link and I will never be together. Link will grow continuously while I'll remain a child forever." She said sobbing away until she cried herself to sleep. She didn't care about her new powers, or the new knowledge that she had. She couldn't care less about that. Loki felt really sorry for his companion. But he knew many things that she didn't even with her new knowledge. He knew that there was a way for a Kokiri to grow and lose his enternal childhood, and it has been done before.  
  
'Don't worry Saria. You can lose your eternal childhood if you really want to. That's what Imelda, Link's mother, did...' 


	2. Imelda & Takeru

I tried the spacing thing and the details. This chapter is basically a big flashback.  
  
Saria was sound asleep with a tear stained face after all the crying she had done last night. Once in a while Loki could hear a sob or a whimper coming from her. He didn't want to see her like this, in pain and despair. He knew that a Kokiri could become a regular Hylian and lose their eternal childhood. It has been done before.  
  
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Flashback  
  
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In the hut that looked much like a tree house emerged a young Kokiri girl who could be no more than eight years old with a pink fairy following her. She had short brown hair that went down to her neck with crimson-brown eyes with a somewhat pale color skin. She seemed a little depressed because she awoken from a nightmare.  
  
The nightmare was incredibly frightening to a child her age as she saw herself being brutally tortured and killed. It was the early morning and still quite dark outside. No other Kokiri was up except her. She climbed down her ladder and headed for the lost woods. She always enjoyed walking through those woods, exploring all around (a wonder that she hasn't found the Sacred Forest Meadow yet).  
  
Though for the first time in her life, she got lost. It was too dark and she took a wrong turn somewhere leading her in an area of the forest she hasn't seen before. She panicked and broke down crying in fear.  
  
"What's wrong?" the girl looked up and saw the figure of a child her age. But with no fairy.  
  
The boy had almost a golden blond colored hair, with cerulean eyes. "I got lost" she sniffeled to the child her age. "Here, I'll help you get out" the boy said while giving his hand to the girl to get back up.  
  
"Thanks" she said smiling and taking his hand. They wandered out into the forest again. "What's your name?" the boy asked curiously. "Imelda, and yours?" "Takeru"  
  
"Where's your fairy" she asked still wondering why he had none. "Fairy? I don't have one"  
  
As the light from the sun got brighter, she noticed that he didn't have the usual green tunic that all the males wore, but a yellow shirt. "You're not a Kokiri?" "What's a Kokiri?" The boy never heard of them in his life.  
  
"Umm . . . actually, I'm not sure how you describe one. All I know is that all Kokiri have fairies" "Then I guess I'm not one of them" He said smiling. For some reason, when he did that, it made her feeling like fainting right there and then.  
  
The sun was now out completely and Imelda remembered the rest of the way. "Wait, I remember where to go from now. Follow me!" She said enthousiasticly to her new friend while pulling him along.  
  
They arrived in the Kokiri village where now, there were many Kokiri children running around outside playing. "Wow, cool!" the boy said. He was very amazed at the size of the village, and all the children running around.  
  
"Where are all the grown-ups?" Takeru asked as he was used to seeing only adults running around outside working. "Grown-ups? What are those?" She wondered because she's never seen an adult before, actually she hasn't ever seen a teenager either for that matter.  
  
"There really big, strong mean people who make fun of you because you're too small or too young" He explained. "Nope, none of those around here" "Neat!" Takeru said because he left on some rather bad terms with his parents, infact, he ran away from home.  
  
She took him back to her little tree hut. "Wow. You have this place all to yourself?" He asked, amazed with the place, which looks pretty much like a dump to an adult. "Yup! So what were you doing in the forest anyways?" "I left my home because the people there were being really mean to me. So I somehow got into the forest"  
  
"Hey! Why don't you live here with me!" She said happily. "Really!? Thanks!" He replies enthousiastically because for the past two days, he's been sleeping on the grass of the Lost Woods, which wasn't all that comfortable.  
  
Takeru lived among the Kokiri for 5 years, he and Imelda grew, but she stopped growing at the age of 10 while he just kept growing. "Wow, you're really tall now. You nearly hit your head on the way out" She giggled at her best friend. "Haha. Very funny, listen. I'm going to be leaving the forest for a couple of days, alright?"  
  
"You can't! Kokiri die when they leave the forest!" "But I'm not Kokiri, see ya!" She blushed slightly because of her lack of memory. "Alright, come back soon!" She said waving at her friend.  
  
"Alace? Why does Takeru keep on growing?" She asked her pink fairy partner. "Because, Takeru is a Hylian, and Hylians unlike Kokiri don't have the gift of eternal childhood and eventually grow into adults" "But he'll still love me right?"  
  
The fairy looks ar her companion awkwardly "He loves you?" Imelda blushed a lot "Well. Uh . . . no, but I do love him" "Well, if your question was actually "Will he ever be able to love me?" the answer is most definately no. The only way that would be possible would be if you could throw away your eternal childhood"  
  
"Oh, okay. How do you do that" "Imelda, I'm very sorry but you can't!"  
  
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'Wait a minute, she eventually found a way to become Hylian! Damn my corrupted memory!' Loki thought agrilly to himself as he tried to remember the story Imelda's fairy, Alace, told him.  
  
Then he heard another sob from Saria's sleeping body. 'Was it some sort of spell? Or maybe a prayer? If so, there's probably some information about it in a book or a tome that should be able to be found somewhere in the village!'  
  
Loki flew right of the house in search for any hint on how to help Saria. 


	3. Books, Books and more Books

Loki needed to find any books or anything that belonged to Imelda. There wasn't much choice of where to go because the only Kokiris who were alive during Imelda's time were the Know-It-All Brothers and the shopkeeper, Igor.  
  
"Hey! Igor!" Loki yelled at the somewhat dumb Kokiri that sold many things to the others. Igor was much chubier than most of the Kokiri. Not no mention, he was also a little deformed (you could mistake him for Dante).  
  
"Ah! Who's there!?" Igor asked looking for a Kokiri. It's very rare that a fairy would leave their Kokiri partner even for a short time. Loki flew up and sat right on the red-headed, chubby Kokiri's face and landed on his nose so he can see him.  
  
"I need some things that might have belonged to Imelda and any books that you might have" he said calmly. "And just who are you?" Loki gave the look that was normally given to Saria.  
  
"I'm Saria's fairy, Loki. Now get with the books!" Loki was very impatient and unsociable. Though unlike other fairies, he was able to strike fear into most when he was angry. Loki was an abnormally strong fairy. When other fairies are mad at their partners, they fly around their face to annoy them. Loki, on the other hand, picked up small litle pebbles and chucked them at who ever he was mad at.  
  
"Y...y...yes sir!" The frightened Kokiri said as he ran off in the back room looking for some things. When he returned a few minutes later, he was carrying several books with him. Loki's little jaw, dropped done all the way when he saw all the books.  
  
"Did those all belong to Imelda!?" he asked worried about carrying them all back to Saria's hut. He was strong, but not that strong. "Yes, she was the only one who collected books, her and the Know-It-All Brothers"  
  
Loki winced at the thought of there being more books with the Know-It-All Brothers. "Alright, well help me carry those back to Saria's hut" "Alright but first you need to pay up"  
  
"What!?" "That's right, 150 rupees should cover all the books" Loki didn't have this kind of money anywhere on him, or any other Kokiri he knew. With, maybe, an exception for Mido. "Alright, I'll be back with the money soon. You make sure that those books stay right there when I get back!"  
  
Loki flew out of the hut grumbling all the way back to Saria's hut. When he got there she was still sleeping, a little bit more peaceful looking now, and the sobs seem to have been kept to a minimum. He looked all around in the room for rupees, but he only manged to find five.  
  
"I guess that I'll just have to pay our good old friend Mido a little visit" He said grinning evilly. He left the hut and raced at break-neck speed for Mido's hut. To his convenience, he remembered it was right next door to Saria's. He flew in as quietly as he could just in case he was still in there.  
  
To his great fortune, he wasn't. He searched the hut in every corner and crack and in the end found a total of 137 rupees. "Damn, still not enough" Thankfully, he was able to find some rupees outside hidden in bushes.  
  
He flew quickly back to Igor's shop. "I got the money!" he yelled flying in. Igor took the books and brought them to Saria's being as quiet as possible, so as not to wake her. "Leave!" Loki hissed quietly. Loki didn't not have much manners, as he din't even say thank you.  
  
All the books were placed on a desk in the corner. Loki looked at the titles of the books. He read things like "Basic Magic" and "Divine Rituals". One of the books seemed to be utterly useless however. It was labeled "Customs, Traditions and Biology of Hyrule"  
  
Loki quickly got into the spell books that were concentrated on the arcane arts. Unforunately for him, there was no table of contents or index to speed up the time. So page by page he read scanning for any posibility of a transformation spell or an aging spell.  
  
Unfortunately, the only spell of interest he could find is "How to transforms Fairies into Human form". Normally he'd stop right there and forget about Saria's pain, but he was to set on helping her.  
  
"Good morning, Loki" said the voice of his Kokiri partner. Loki seemed to jump a foot in the air who was quite startled by her awakening. "Don't do that!" "Sorry, I'm going to the Sacred Forest Meadow, coming?" Loki noticed that the cheerful tone that Saria used to have was no longer there. Instead it seemed really sad, then again he couldn't blame her.  
  
"Actually if it's alright with you, I'll stay here for a while" "What for?" She asked who was quite surprised because it's rare that a fairy won't follow his partner and normaly Loki's voice sounded so sure and decided about everything, now he sounded like he wasn't sure what to do.  
  
"Uh . . . just um . . . doing some reading" He was to ashamed to tell her that he was trying to help her. He didn't want to seem to soft. "Oh, alright, then I'll see you later" She said before leaving.  
  
'Great, first I realize that Link will never love me and now my own fairy won't even follow me around anymore. My life sucks' She thought to herself while walking through the woods. If she could, she'd cry but she had no more tears to release from all the crying she did last night. 'I'd rather be left off dead' 


	4. Lessons on Biology and Customs and Rebor...

Sorry for taking so long. I have a perfectly good reason why this took so long, and you're not going to be hearing it (partly because I don't know what it is). The spacing better be right this time, otherwise, I swear, I'm going to cry. Enjoy and review!  
  
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Saria sat in front of the temple playing her song on the ocarina as she always does. The song normally brought up her mood and the mood of others around her making the place seem livelier. But, the song today seemed depressing, having the opposite effect on things, making the place seem dead, as if someone had just died. To Saria, someone did die, her hope, and her happiness.  
  
However, there was someone very happy nearby. Loki, who was flying towards Saria at great speed, and was yelling "Saria! Saria! Saria!" Loki went through hell trying to find out about a way to make a Kokiri lose their eternal childhood. He read more books than an old wizard would in his lifetime.  
  
"What do you want?" asked the depressed Saria, almost scornfully while looking at the ground beneath her feet, not caring enough about her fairy's presence to even look up.  
  
"I found a way you can become an adult!" Loki said. His tone was very odd to Saria because he was rarely happy or enthusiastic about anything.  
  
"Ha Ha. Really funny Loki. I never knew you could be this cruel," said Saria, not believing a word her fairy companion said. He was never happy and rarely ever tries to help her. What makes things so different now?  
  
"I'm serious! You can become a Hylian!" the little fairy said. It didn't look as though it was convincing her, so he decided to add in, "That means Link can think of you to be more than just a child!"  
  
That seemed to do the trick. "Re. Really?" Saria asked, with a reborn tone of hope in her voice. She looked up at Loki, which startled him because he wasn't expecting to see a tear stained face. He had to wonder how long she cried for.  
  
"Yeah! But." Loki said before being interrupted.  
  
""Let me guess. There's a catch," she said only losing a little hope.  
  
"No, it's just that it's a little long to explain" he replied. "You see, I didn't find this in some cryptic and archaic spell book. I found it in a book that teaches you the customs and biology of the people and creatures of Hyrule"  
  
"Is that what all those books were for earlier?" Saria asked remembering the pile of books in her home before she left.  
  
"Um . . . yeah" he admitted, feeling very embarrassed about putting that much work in trying to help her.  
  
"Thank you so much!" she yelled, very happy about Loki's thoughtful gesture. She got up and tried to hug the little fairy. But he flew away quickly.  
  
(Warning: This next part will be very boring as it explains a lot about Kokiri and how they are born without parents)  
  
"Don't even try it! Just sit down so I can explain" Loki said as Saria sat back down on the tree stump. "You see, Kokiri are the exact same as Hylian children with only the exception of a fairy companion and eternal childhood. The only hint that showed that Link was not a Kokiri was that he had no fairy until he was 10. Anyway, the reason why Kokiri have the gift of eternal childhood is that Kokiri are actually Will-O-Wisps in a humanoid form"  
  
"What's a Will-O-Wisp?" asked Saria who was listening to every word being spoken.  
  
"A Will-O-Wisp, is a spirit of a dead child" Loki explained.  
  
"So Kokiri are actually undead?" asked Saria.  
  
"Um. well sort of. See, you don't really look like the Will-O-Wisp's original body, but you are its age. A Kokiri grows until it reaches the age of the Will-O-Wisp was when it died. That's why Kokiri stop growing at different ages" he explained. "The Will-O-Wisp always goes in one direction after creation, it always heads towards the Great Deku Tree, oh, and by the way, Will-O-Wisps are usually only visible at night. Anyway, they travel towards the Great Deku Tree so they can be put in a body again"  
  
"How does that happen?" Saria asked not seeming bored at all.  
  
"The Great Deku Tree is a divine creature. He's been around for almost as long as the goddesses have. He has divine powers and can create a body without needing biological parents. The only other thing he needs, is a Will-O-Wisp, otherwise, the baby will simply grow like an ordinary Hylian with no parents. He always creates a new body every time a Will-O-Wisp has come to him. So let's say if there was a maniac who went around in every person's home and killing their children, well. let's just say that the Kokiri population would double"  
  
"Why didn't more Kokiri appear in the past 7 years? I mean, Ganondorf did kill many children," she asked.  
  
"The Great Deku Tree was dead so they simply went to the Underworld" he explained.  
  
"So, how do Kokiri die?" Saria asked.  
  
"A number of ways: leaving the forest, getting lost in the woods or if the Will-O-Wisps move on naturally" He explained.  
  
"So, how can I become a Hylian" Saria asked, a little confused.  
  
"It's as simple as asking the Great Deku Tree to remove the Will-O-Wisp from you and let you grow up as a normal Hylian would." Loki explained.  
  
Saria seemed to have lost a lot of hope. "But, the Great Deku Tree is dead" she said sadly, despair returning to her tone.  
  
"Don't worry. Because when Ganondorf is defeated, time will be reset to the day Link disappeared, so everyone, except for the sages and the triforce holders, will forget of Ganondorf's great evil!" he said reassuring her.  
  
"What if he's not defeated?" Saria said with despair still present in her tone.  
  
Loki went up to her and said, "Have faith in Link, and have faith that your love for him will prevail over evil" 


	5. Saria the Hylian

Many days passed by. With each one, Saria prayed that Link would defeat Ganondorf. Then the day came, when Link defeated Ganondorf. Time was reset to the day Link dissapeared.  
  
"Saria" whispered Loki. He waited a minute and then yelled "Wake up!!!".  
  
Saria jumped out of bed. "Ahh! Don`t do that!".  
  
Loki who was laughing like a madman could barely manage to say "I couldn`t help myself".  
  
"Was that all just a dream I had?" Saria asked herself.  
  
"Nope. Ganondorf`s gone. So let`s go see the Deku Tree"  
  
They got up and left the hut. The whole walk to the Deku Tree, Saria was smiling. It was early morning so Mido wasn`t up yet. (This next part might be a little screwed up because my Olde English is not as good as it was two years ago) There, in all his glory, was the Great Deku Tree. No longer wilted and black, but with green leaves and healthy bark. "Come hither young`un"  
  
Saria was not even sure she could speak. She, and all the other Kokiri, are always awed every time they see the Great Deku Tree. "Saria, move it!" scolded an impatient Loki.  
  
"Why hast thou come to me?"  
  
"I . . . I would like to become a normal Hylain, please"  
  
"Why wouldst ye want to lose eternal childhood?"  
  
"Because . . . I want to be with Link as a long as I possibly can"  
  
"Then come hither" with this, Saria walked even closer to the Deku Tree. Then, a green pillar of light hit her. And slowly, from her, emerged a small creature that looked like a fairy because an intense aura surrounded it, but no wings could be detected. It was surrounded by a green aura. Saria took it as the Will-O-Wisp that was providing her with eternal childhood. The Will-O-Wisp went down almost like it was falling and going to hit the ground, but instead went through the ground leaving no mark that it was there. Then, the pillar left.  
  
"What the?" Saria managed to ask still awed by the entire experience.  
  
"Ye art now a normal child, ye can stay within the forest as long as ye wish"  
  
"Thank you" Saria said, still a little stunned. As she walked away from the Great Deku Tree and got to the pathway between the Kokiri village and the Great Deku Tree she came to a sudden stop. "YIPEE!!!!!!" she yelled in all of her happiness.  
  
"Ow" said a quiet Loki. They continued walking back but by this time the sun was up and all the Kokiri were awake, but for some reason, Mido could not be seen.  
  
"Hey! Saria!" yelled a very familiar voice.  
  
"Link!" There in the distance was Link as a child. "I so happy you defeated Ganondorf!"  
  
"I guess you remember the future huh"  
  
"Yup! From what I understand, all the sages and triforce holders will remember. So, how long will you be staying for?"  
  
"Probably for 2 years"  
  
"That`s great!"  
  
"Yeah. Then I don`t know what I`ll do"  
  
`As long as I can be with you` Saria thought to herself.  
  
Next chapter there will probably be more dialogue between Saria and Link. Please Read and Review! please? I beg of you! 


	6. Letters

Well, the chapter`s finally up. It takes place one year after the last.  
  
As Saria walked through the lost woods all alone (not including Loki) she couldn`t help but notice how quiet everything was around her. Something wasn`t right. She could feel it. It only took a few more steps before she heard it.  
  
"BOO!" Link shouted.  
  
"Ahh!" Saria shrieked while Link was laughing and rolling on the ground. "Oh, I`ll get you for that!" Saria shouted as she ran after Link. The chase went on for all day. Games like this have been happening a lot since Link returned. Everything normally shouting, screaming and laughter. Everything was just `perfect`. Life was just perfect for Saria. The only sorrow she felt was when night fell, and Link left her for a short time to sleep. Mido didn`t even dare to make fun of Link anymore because he was taller than him now. Everything was in perfect harmony, until one day, a strange man came to the Kokiri village.  
  
"Does anyone know who Link is?" The man asked.  
  
"That would be me"  
  
"These are for you" The man said, haniding Link three letters.  
  
"Um . . . Thanks"  
  
"So? What do they say!? What do they say!? What do they say!?" Saria repeated, eager to know who would send Link letters.  
  
"Hey! Letters are personal so I`ll read them by myself, thank you very much!" He said as he ran off towards his home.  
  
"Damn it!"  
  
"Hey! None of that language here!" One of the Kokiri warned.  
  
"Oh, quiet!" She said as she stormed off towards her own home.  
  
"Alright, here`s what we do! We sneak into Link`s home at night, and steal the letters! Then, we read them and return them like nothing ever happened!" Loki said.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"What? I can get curious too!"  
  
"Alright, till night comes!" Saria said enthusiastically. Unfortunately, the wait was long and tedious. And Loki`s antics weren`t helping! Though, when night did come and every kokiri was asleep, they snuck out and made sure that every step was soundless. When they got in the house, Link was on the bed sleeping (fully clothed so don`t get any ideas!) and shivering. He seemed to be having a nightmare.  
  
Of course, saria`s concern for Link dissapeared when Loki whispered "The letters are there!" Saria quietly picked up the open letters and snuck back to her own home. "Mission complete!" Loki said, very proud of himself.  
  
Saria lit the lantern so she could have some light to read by. She then read out loud from the first letter "Dear Fairy Boy, I haven`t seen you at the farm at all lately, actually, I haven`t seen you since last year, Epona and I are starting to miss you. Well, if you can drop by anytime soon, that would be great. We miss you very much! Signed Malon" Saria didn`t like this letter at all, she felt this horrible feeling, almost as if her heart was being twisted. "Loki who`s Malon? And Epona?"  
  
"I don`t know! Why don`t you ask Link?"  
  
"Because then, he`ll know that I stole the letters"  
  
"Well, why don`t you read the second one"  
  
"Dear Link, it has been awhile since I last saw you. No one believes me when I say that you are the Hero of Time, and that you saved Hyrule. Anyways, I was wondering if you would be moving out of that forest anytime soon. It must be hard living with a bunch of children. But it is your choice. Anyways, please tell me when if plan to move out of there anytime soon. Then, we`d be able to have fun with eachother. Signed Zelda" the previous feeling was now doubled with this letter, this time she knew who the person was, and it was the princess of Hyrule! She almost didn`t want to read the third letter.  
  
"Read it!" Loki scolded.  
  
Giving in, she read the third and last letter expecting the worst "You stupid kid! Punk! You`re the pipsqueak who messed up my windmill! I know where you live now and I know who you are! If you ever screw up my windmill again, I`m going to kick you hard in the kahoots! So there!" after a minute of silence Saria finally said "Huh?" Loki broke down laughing at the threat letter.  
  
"Well! At least it`s not from a woman!" Loki said, still laughing. When he finally regained himself, he said "Come on. Let`s return the letters"  
  
Saria was still very troubled by the two other letters, she figured she`d ask Link about them tomorrow.  
  
Okay, that was a little short. I originally intended for it to be longer. Oh well. The next chapter should be uploaded a bit faster that this one. Plese read and review!  
  
P.S: REVIEW IT! 


	7. The Three Feelings

Well, here's the next chapter. BTW, it's still morning. Actually, this is immediately after the last chapter. Enjoy!  
  
"Loki, I'd rather return these letters alone. Would you mind if you just stayed here?" Saria asked.  
  
"Does this mean that I won't have to stand yer (This is not a spelling mistake!) company?"  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Then go already!" he said, urging her to leave.   
  
As Saria was walking to Link's house, she had 3 horrible feelings inside her. She was worried about how Link was because he didn't seem to be comfortable at all. She was also feeling guilty for stealing the letters, it was either that or regret. The third feeling however, she didn't understand. This horrible twisting of her heart after reading the first two letters.   
  
As she entered Link's hut, there he was, shaking violently in his sleep. She put the letters back in there place, but something caught her eye. Two other letters, so she picked them up and read them. She could tell it was in Link's handwritting. 'Dear Malon, I will probably not see you for another, because I promised my friend, Saria, that I would stay. I wish you could meet her, but she's not aloud leaving the forest, and I doubt your father will let you take a break from your chores long enough to come here. She truly is a wonderful person, so caring and kind, and I'm sure you two would get along great. Anyways until then I'll be in the forest! See you in a year!'  
  
This made Saria feel really good, for too many reasons to name, but mostly the compliment that Link wrote about her. She then started reading the next letter. 'Dear Zelda, I will be leaving soon. In a year to be precise, because I promised my friend Saria . . . oh you remember her. The forest sage. Anyways, I doubt you will like the kokiris very much, so I guess you visiting me would be out of the question. So Ill be seeing you in a year. 'Till then'   
  
Well, Saria didn't know what to feel about this one. But now, she was too worried about Link. He seemed so cold, shivering as he was. She searched around the house untill she could find a blanket of somekind. She wrapped it around him keeping him warm. A small smile apeared on his face, as if his nightmares turned into peaceful dreams. She took a chair, moved it next to his bed and sat there, keeping an eye on him all night. She hardly got any sleep herself, but her being a sage, she had more energy than an average person. Throughout the night, it seemed that her very presence made Link happy. But during some point in his sleep, she could hear Link say very sofyly "Thank you"  
  
This was disgustingly short, even for me! Ah . . . whatever! The point is, the faster I get reviews, the quicker the next chapter gets uploaded.  
  
Please Review! 


	8. Questions

Link opened his eyes to the familiar sun light shining through. The laughter outside the hut and the comfortable feeling of having a blanket wrapped around him. 'Wait a minute, I didn't go to sleep with this' Link finally out of his dazed shape saw a blanket on him and Saria siting near by.  
  
"Morning, sleepy head" Saria said.  
  
"Saria? What are you doing here so early?" Link asked.  
  
"I got you some berries" Saria said as an excuse to hide the fact that she snuck in to steal some stuff from him. This seemed to satisfy him.  
  
"Thanks! Say, did you put this on me?" Link asked remembering the blanket that was still on top of him.  
  
"Yeah. You seemed really cold and I just found this blanket in one of the cupboards"  
  
"Probably belonged to the previous owner of this hut"  
  
"Well, you should use it!" Saria scolded.  
  
"he he. Sorry"  
  
"Well, come on! Eat your food already! It's a great day and I want to go outside!"  
  
"Alright! Alright! I'll eat!" He said as he ate. Then they went back out to run about and play with the other kokiri. At one point, they sung songs on their ocarinas as the other kokiris gathered around, listening to the music.  
  
"Link, exactly who's Malon?" Saria asked, not being able to keep it inside her any longer.  
  
"Malon? She a girl I met in my travels, why do you . . . how do you know about Malon?" Link asked.  
  
"Uhh . . . you told me about her once in your stories through time"  
  
"Funny, I don't remember ever bringing it up"  
  
"Well you did!" She said trying to sound as sure of herself as possible.  
  
". . . Alright, if you say so" at this point, Saria was feeling the exhaustion from earlier in the day, not sleeping all night and running around during the day. She was really tired at this point.  
  
"I think I'm going to go to sleep now" Saria said sleepily.  
  
"But the sun is still out!"  
  
"Yeah, but I'm really tired now. I'll see you tommorow alright?"  
  
"Yeah sure. See ya"  
  
As Saria walked into her own door, there was Loki, doing . . . well . . . something. "Whoops! Sorry I didn't come and get you!"  
  
"What? Oh, I don't care! Though I kind of just thought of something"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Exactly when do you plan to tell Link that you're not a Kokiri?"  
  
Well, this was definately longer than the last one ^_^. The next chapter's starting with a answer to the question that was just asked.  
  
Until that time comes upon us, please read and review! Thank ye! 


	9. The Truth

Well, I posted a new review. Despite that last insulting review! Hmph! Anyways, I hope you'll all (those of you who are still reading this) enjoy this chapter!  
  
"Uh . . . geez. I haven't thought of it at all" Saria said.  
  
"Yeah, well if I were you I'd put some thought into it, becuase it's nott he easiest thing to explain. Trust me I know!"  
  
"Well, let's go now. Let's go tell him this instant!"  
  
"Alright, I'll come along. it's not like I have a choice. But it is getting dark out so he might be asleep when we get there"  
  
"I doubt it. Let's go!" On her way there, all of the thoughts of his reactions came to her mind. 'He could curious into knowing why. Or, maybe happy. Or, he might think that I've gone nuts!' Her mind raced with these kinds of thoughts, as well as trying to think of a way to tell him this.   
  
"Saria? We're here" Loki said snapping her out of her daydream, or daynightmare.  
  
"What? Oh yes. Let's go" They climbed up the ladder and into his hut. oddly enough he was awake. Searching the entire house. He didn't even notice them come in until Navi said something.  
  
"Link! You have company"  
  
"What? Oh, hi Saria. what are you doing here?" Link asked, finnaly looking up from the drawer he was searching through.  
  
"Uh . . . hi. I need to um . . . tell you something" Saria said starting to get nervous. 'This was a bad idea! I better leave'  
  
"Saria want to tell you that she's not a Kokiri anymore and now just a simple short life-spanned Hylian such as yourself" Loki said. He could feel Saria's glare at him, and it just made him smile from ear to ear.  
  
"What?" Link asked, somewhat confused by Loki's statement.  
  
"Um . . . A year ago, I asked the Great Deku Tree to turn me into a Hylian" Saria said, very hesitantly. There was a small moment of silence before Link said.  
  
"That's great! How? Why?" Link said.  
  
"Mostly how?" Navi said who was confused because she has never known this was possible.  
  
"Uhh . . ." Saria and Loki both said in unision.  
  
"Well, the how part is really complicated, and will probably take all night to explain" Saria said.  
  
"No need to worry about that! We have all night long" Link said, trying to reassure her.  
  
"Okay, then we'll just let Loki explain it" Saria said.  
  
"Yes. Why don't you do that, Loki?" Navi said.  
  
"What!? Oh by the great goddesses no! Please! Don't make me go through it again!" Loki pleaded.  
  
"Do it!"Saria scolded.  
  
"Oh fine! Gather around children, for I have a story for you"  
  
"I'm not a child! I'm centuries older than you are!" Navi protested.  
  
"Ask me if I care. I dare you!" Saria was glaring at Loki so he figured he get to it. Throughout the night, Loki explained how he knew if it was possible in the first place, how he found out, the little lesson on Kokiri biology, and just what you had to do to go through the transformation, while avoiding any hint of Saria's love for Linl (If you were in my position, would you have written all this out in dialog form?). "And that's how it is"  
  
"Cool" Link said.  
  
"That was very foolish decision on your part Saria. Why did you give up eternal childhood, for the horrors of the outside world?" Navi questioned, who, like all fairies (except Loki), cherished youth.  
  
"Yeah, why did you do that?" Link asked.  
  
"Well, because you're my best friend. I know you're well and compable to handle the troubles there are out there. But I don't want you to face them alone" Saria said.  
  
"Thanks! That's really nice of you. You're a true friend. This will be great! Later, I could show you the world, instead of having to tell you tales" Link said enthusiasically.  
  
"That sound great. I'd love to see all these places with you"  
  
And so ends this chapter. 'till the next one. I hope you all enjoyed this one and please review! 


	10. Clear Skies or Dark Clouds?

Hope this wasn't to short. Enjoy!  
  
A year has past, and Link and Saria were making big plans. They planned to go see the world together, and every adventure, Saria would come along. Oddly enough, this was contradictory to what Link had previously planned, before he heard of Saria's change. He originally planned that he'd live a plain life, and continue his life like any other would.  
  
"Man, you'll love the Gorons and Zoras. And, you'll meet my horse, Epona, and Malon as well"  
  
Saria was still getting the strange heart-twisting feeling every time she heard Malon's name. She was about to protest that particular plan when Loki whispered "Now, you'll see just who Link's friend is" She was slightly comforted about this.  
  
"And the Hyrule Castle is huge! The Gerudo fortress is nice, but really hot. And there's Lake Hylia and all the fishing that could be done!"  
  
"Wow, there sure are a lot of places outside the woods, I never knew about any of this"  
  
"I thought you were a sage?"  
  
"Yeah, being a sage doesn't mean that I'm suddenly filled with knowledge of the world. Sages just happen to have more common sense than others, and are more in tune with their respective domains. Mine is the woods, and because of it, I'm more in tune with nature than most"  
  
"Oh. Well, I was thinking about leaving in a week. Taking a stop at Lon Lon Ranch, then go to Hyrule Palace, and then to Kakariko village. Then, we can make new plans"  
  
"Sounds great, but why do you need to make the first two stops?"  
  
"I promised Zelda and Malon that I would go see them after I leave the forest. You'll be like a surprise guest. Besides, there are some cool sites I'd like to show you"  
  
"Like?"  
  
"The Temple of Time. Anyways, I think it would be best if we started packing now. I found some interresting things that use to belong to previous owner of my house"  
  
This got Loki's attention, since he was the only one, other than the Deku tree and the Know-it-all brothers, who remembers the person who Link was refering to. "Like?" Loki asked.  
  
"Well, her name was Imelda and she apparently vanished from the woods. According to a journal I found that belonged to her, she became Hylian, and left the woods. It doesn't even seem that long ago, so maybe we might meet her"  
  
"Why are you so curious in finding out who this person is? Couldn't you respect someone's priavcy?" Loki asked.  
  
"It's just that there's something inside me, telling me to try to find this person"  
  
"Take my advice kid, don't bother" For Link and Saria, there was nothing but clear skies ahead. But Loki on the other hand could sense the dark clouds that were forming behind them. 'If Link continues searching for Imelda, he will be lead to . . . him. If he ever saw Saria, he would surely kill her'  
  
Well, there's obviously a clue that a old nemesis is going to haunt the pair. Any guesses? Let me give you a hint. He's got pointy ears. 


	11. A Night at Lon Lon Ranch

Well, I think it's about time that I updated this fic. Looks like no one really got my question, but for all of you who are Ganondorf fanatics, I have a special place for him in this story, so yes, you'll see him later on. In the meantime, enjoy!  
  
"Saria. Saria wake up, it's time to go" A soft voice said.  
  
"Link?" She said, waking up slowly.  
  
"Come on, we need to get a head start. Otherwise it will get dark and monsters will get out"  
  
"Please let me sleep for another couple of minutes"  
  
Link sighed and turned to the two fairies that were waiting "This might be a problem"  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'm on it" Loki said with reassurance. As he flew above Saria's bed.  
  
"Uhh...Link. I wouldn't trust him if I were you!" Navi protested.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm sure he knows what he's doing"  
  
Loki flew above the bed and on to a shelf, where there was a bucket of water for drinking. Loki pushed it ever so slightly and Saria who was on the bottom said "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She said, completely soaked because of Loki's stunt.  
  
"I told you not to trust him!" Navi scolded.  
  
"Loki! That's not what I wanted you to do!" 'Well, at least she's up now' Link thought to himself.  
  
"So...C..Cold" Saria said, shivering.  
  
"Here, take this blanket" Link said, handing here the same blanket that belonged to Imelda.  
  
"Thanks"  
  
"Come on, Lon Lon Ranch is a day's walk from here. When we get there, we can get a nice meal. You'll also meet a couple of my friends"  
  
"That sounds great" Saria said. It was still early in the morning, so no Kokiris were up. No one should really notice their dissapearance, excepting Mido. By now, Saria's changed a lot since the two years that went by. She was now officially 12 years old. Link noticed it too, she was a lot prettier now. They walked out of the forest, walking into the Hyrule Fields, the first time she's ever seen them. "Wow! It's beautiful out here! And so bright. And so BIG! I didn't know that there were places bigger than the forest"  
  
"Out of all the places I've been to, the forest is probably the smallest"  
  
"Wow! Where's Lon Lon Ranch?" Saria asked in excitement.  
  
"It's all the way over there" Link said, pointing it out to her. It was fairly easy to spot since it was in the center of the Hylian Fields. The walk did take all day and when they got there...  
  
"Link!!! It's so good to see you again!" Malon yelled running towards him, grabbing him in a hug.  
  
"It's great to see you too Malon. I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. Malon, meet Saria"  
  
Malon let go of Link and looked at the figure behind him. "A fairy-girl? Hi Saria, it's very nice to meet you"  
  
"Hi" Saria said, with the so very familiar hear twisting pain.  
  
"So, how's Epona?" Link asked, breaking the awkward silence.  
  
"Oh, she's fine, and I think she's ready to be ridden again, if that's what you're thinking"  
  
"Great! Saria, come see her!"  
  
"Wow! They're beautiful!" Saria exclaimed, seeing the wondrous creatures before her. She hasn't ever really seen a horse before.  
  
"Yeah, I know! This one's mine" With this, Link pulled out his ocarina and played Epona's song so that she'd come to him. "This is Epona, my horse"  
  
"Wow, can pet her?" Saria asked a little unsure of herself.  
  
"Yeah sure!" Link said, as she was petting the horse.  
  
"Well, I'm sure that you're both very hungry since it's dusk. Why not come in and join us for supper?" Malon offered.  
  
"Sure, that would be great! How's your father doing?"  
  
"Probably sleeping"  
  
"Well let's go! Coming Saria?"  
  
"Yeah sure"  
  
After supper..."So Link, should I show you to your room?"  
  
"Yes, please. We're going to have to stay for the night"  
  
"Well, it just so happens that we have separate rooms for the two of you. I'll take you to them now"  
  
"Thanks"  
  
In Saria's room..."So Loki, what do you think about Malon?"  
  
"Well, one, she's beautiful, two, she definately likes Link and I mean more than just a friend"  
  
"I was afraid of that"  
  
"Don't lose hope now! Not after all those books I read because of you!'  
  
"Yeah alright, I'm a bit more worried on how the meeting with Zelda is going to go though"  
  
I hope you enjoyed this! Please Review! 


	12. Murders in the City

This chapter is up, obviously. I would like to point one thing out before I continue, Saria and Link right now are only 12 years old. So naturally (unless you were really sick when you were that age) they would not be coming on to each other. If this fic lasts that long and people are still reviewing (And I certainly hope that people do continue), they will eventually be adults. So, please review. And enjoy.  
  
"So now we're going to Hyrule town right?" Saria asked.  
  
"Yeah, it's a little too crowded though, but I'm sure that you'll enjoy seeing the Temple of Time" Link reassured her. "Look, it's that building way over there" He said pointing at the castle.  
  
"Wow! It's so big! How can people make buildings like that?"  
  
"They're called architects," Loki said sarcastically. They walked through the town and reached the town centre. Saria saw that there were a lot of guards all over the place running around.  
  
"Are there always so many guards around" Saria asked.  
  
Link seemed hesitant in his answer "No, something's definitely not right. These streets are normally really busy, but with people, not soldiers. It doesn't matter, let me show you the Temple of Time"  
  
"This place is no where near as busy as the streets were, there's no one here!" Saria pointed out.  
  
"Let me show you the inside!" He took her inside, and she was awed at the beautiful architecture, and the size of the place.  
  
"It's…it's beautiful" Saria said.  
  
"Hello Link, I was expecting you" said an unknown voice. Then, from her hiding spot, stepped out the princess Zelda.  
  
"Zelda! It's great to see you again! How did you know that I'd be here?"  
  
"A dream told me"  
  
"A dream? Oh, you mean like the one you had with me coming out of the forest with the emerald?"  
  
"Yes. It's a pleasure seeing you again, unfortunately, Hyrule has been going through some troubles as of late"  
  
This seemed to startle Link, he had his head down and said "I guess I need to continue my role as the Hero of Time again don't I?"  
  
"Huh, no! It's not like Ganondorf is back or anything" Zelda said laughing. "There's just been strings of murders in Hyrule, incredibly…sick…disgusting murders"  
  
"Why? What's happening?" Saria asked.  
  
"Saria!? Aren't you a Kokiri!? You can't leave the forest without dying!"  
  
"Saria found a way to become Hylian" Link explained.  
  
"How?"  
  
Saria, Link and Navi all looked at Loki "NO!!! I will not explain it a third time!!! I…refuse!!! You tell her your damn self!"  
  
"Loki! That's no way to talk in front of a princess" Navi scolded.  
  
"What's she going to do!? Throw me in prison? Yeah, right!"  
  
"hehheh, you'll have to excuse his manners princess, he's never been a particularly polite person" Saria said.  
  
"Hmph!" Zelda and Loki both said in unison.  
  
"Uh, about these murders?" Link said, trying to change the subject.  
  
"There's some sick weirdo out there, who's killing everyone he meets, even beggars! His victims often show bite marks all over their bodies, and possibly some of it missing"  
  
"Someone's killing people and eating their flesh? If that's the case, their probably monsters, not Hylians" Link said.  
  
"The teeth marks on their bodies are actually not Hylian, rather, it's similar to that of a gerudo"  
  
"There is a Gerudo, going around, killing people and eating them?"  
  
"Apparently, but there are no Gerudos in town, and the killings are very frequent. Enough of morbid news, come, I invite as a guest to the castle"  
  
"That's quite appreciated princess, thank you" Link said. The guards were quick to obeying the princess' words, and the king showed no hesitation to her friends staying at the castle. When they were feasting "Zelda, I would really like to settle in a house in Kakariko village, and I was wondering if you could possibly help me and Saria get a house over there"  
  
"What? Are you sure you wouldn't rather stay here in the castle?" Zelda offered.  
  
"I'm sorry, but the castle life is simply not the life for me. I prefer the hard working one"  
  
"Well, since it's not like I can force you to stay in the castle so, I'll see what I can do, so long as you promise me this"  
  
"Sure, what?"  
  
"That you'd come back to visit"  
  
"No problem"  
  
"Great! Thank you!" Zelda said, hugging Link. And Saria felt that pain again, that she has been becoming so use to as of late.  
  
"Would you mind if I left to go sleep?" Saria asked  
  
"What? Oh, sure yeah, go ahead" Zelda responded looking at Link.  
  
Just like at Lon Lon Ranch, Saria shared a different room from Link, she felt like she's been seeing him less and less. "My life sucks, I leave my people to spend my time with Link, but he's always with the other girls" Saria said moping.  
  
"Well tomorrow, we'll be leaving for Kakariko" Loki said  
  
"Great, I'm sure there will be another girl there for Link to talk with all day long" Saria said, however she never got a reply from Loki. "Loki? Are you still there?"  
  
Loki was looking outside the castle window. "Huh? Sorry, I just thought of something"  
  
"What?" Saria asked.  
  
"It really doesn't matter. Go to sleep now, tomorrow, we'll be heading for Kakariko"  
  
"Alright, good night"  
  
Loki would've replied, but all night, the murders that Zelda told them about was troubling him.  
  
I hope this chapter has been long enough, the next will be up…I'm not quite sure. Please, post your comments, positive or negative. 


	13. Peace at Last Right?

. That's been a while hasn't it? As usual, Enjoy! (If you're still there that is)  
  
A/N: BTW, Fairy Girl, here is the answer to your question (Great story so far, but i was wondering after reading ch 6....how does Malon remember Link if only sages and triforce holders can remember the past? ) in the review (Answer: "Don`t worry. Because when Ganondorf is defeated, time will be reset to the day Link disapeared, so everyone, except for the sages and the triforce holders, will forget Ganondorf`s evil!" he said reasuring her.  
  
What I meant by dissapeared is when he went ot the future. He already met Malon, the windmill guy, Zelda, etc. before removing the master sword.) Now! On to the fic!  
  
"Saria." A gentle voice whispered. A smile grew on her chin, she felt as if she was dreaming. ".Saria." The voice said again.  
  
Another voice came and said "Maybe you should hurry up before Loki pours another bucket of water on her head. Oh look, here he comes now" Saria opened her eyes and jumped out of her bed on to her feet. She looked around the room, but only saw Link and Navi. with Loki nowhere in sight. "See! It worked" Navi said.  
  
A wide grin came to Link's face and the only thing that stopped him from laughing was the death glare that Saria was shooting him. "Uh. Navi apologise!" Link said trying to get out of the mess.  
  
"What!? I saved her from Loki! And got her up in the process! You two should be thanking me"  
  
"Hmph!" Saria said in mock anger. Looking over the room again, she asked "Where is Loki anyway?"  
  
Almost as if on queue, Loki floated in from the window slowly, carrying a small bucket of water splashing over a bit. "Okay, this will have to do for now. There is only so much a fairy can lift"  
  
Saria cleared her throat with a "Ahem!"  
  
Loki looked over towards her, and dropped the bucket in shock "Oh Saria. uh, this isn't what it looks like. uh. you see. I uh. got some water for you"  
  
Navi came over near Loki and floated around him. "Busted" Navi snickered.  
  
"Bah! Shut up!"  
  
"Uh. maybe it's time to go" Link said intervening. "We'll be heading for Kakariko village today"  
  
"Just what are we going to be doing there?" Saria asked.  
  
"Moving in a new house that the carpenters built."  
  
"Yes, I've arranged it" Zelda said, stepping into the room. "I wish the two of you could've stayed longer" She said, but solely focusing on Link. "But I guess all good things must come to." She turned towards Saria "an end".  
  
"Don't worry, we'll visit again. It's not as if this is the last you'll ever see of us." Link said.  
  
A smile came to Zelda's lips "That's good to hear"  
  
"Well, we better get going now" Saria said. "I would really like to see Kakariko" She said providing that as an excuse.  
  
Zelda was scowling a Saria for a while, before she turned to Link "She's right, you'd better get going now" And with that, she kissed Link on the cheek. Link just blushed, while Saria felt. well, it wasn't the same as before. Now the pain seemed to be tripled, it felt so bad. almost as if it was going to kill her slowly on the inside. It was a miracle that she was still standing. She didn't want to stay. She just had to leave. NOW!  
  
"I. I. uh." The pain was starting to be too much, she couldn't think, couldn't speak, and all rational thought left her. She dashed out of the room, through the palace corridors, somehow finding her way to the entrance. When she got outside. rational thought was slowly coming back to her. 'Wait a minute, I'm being ridiculous. That was just a friendly kiss on the cheek, Link's given me lots of those before, and I gave him just as many.' Then it hit her. 'oh no, I acted like an idiot up there!'  
  
"Saria!" Link's voice called out, almost on queue. "Wait up! Not once ever in all my life have I seen you run so fast" He said, panting for air.  
  
Saria produced a shy grin "Sorry, I wasn't feeling too well. I needed to get outside"  
  
Link looked at her oddly, "You ran that fast for some fresh air?"  
  
"Err. yeah. Um, where's Loki and Navi?"  
  
Navi popped out of Link's hat "I don't know where the creep is, but can we leave without him?"  
  
"I heard that!" yelled Loki from above, floating down from the window in Saria's room.  
  
"So?" Navi asked in reply.  
  
"Enough. geez. Let's just get going already. Epona's outside the city" He said walking onward. "So."  
  
Saria looked at him curiously "What?"  
  
"Last one there's a Deku shrub!" As he dashed off.  
  
"Hey! Wait!" Saria said charging after him.  
  
The two fairies just floated there and rolled their eyes. Navi looked at Loki sympathetically for a change "Don't worry, one day, they'll grow up"  
  
"*Sigh*, I just HAD to make her Hylian didn't I?"  
  
"You actually HAD a choice. I have to be with Link because of stupid destiny"  
  
"We better catch up."  
  
"Okay, last one there's a Hylian!" as Navi raced off.  
  
"Argh! All you Kokiri are the same!" as he raced after her.  
  
********************  
  
While riding Epona, Saria in back holding on to Link, Navi in Link's hat, and Loki in one of Saria's pouches, Loki was still trying to catch his breath. "There will be NO more racing. Understood?" Loki demanded.  
  
"Cheer up, you're just mad because you were the last one there" Link consoled.  
  
"So what!? I took my time! I don't play these silly little games!"  
  
"Yes you-" Saria said,  
  
"Quiet!" the little fairy interrupted. It made everyone giggle at the frustrated fairy. This had to be the most fun she's had ever since leaving the woods. "Besides, if anything's slow, it's this horse. Can't we go any faster?"  
  
". Hang on" Link said ever so silently.  
  
"What?" Loki asked. Epona just started galloping really fast, as Loki nearly fell out of Saria's pouch. "Ah! Slow down!"  
  
"Too late" Link replied.  
  
********************  
  
When they got there, Loki was still rather in a daze, unable to orient himself. The charming village looked amazing in Saria's eyes. In Hyrule castle, she saw the finished product. But here in this town, which was no where near as crowded, she was actually seeing people at work making the structures. There were people talking and having fun, people who were working, people who were resting, and through all of it, she could still hear the singing of birds, and calls of cuccos.  
  
"Welcome to your new home" Link said.  
  
Saria just stared in awe.  
  
"What's the matter? Don't you like it?"  
  
"N-no, it's beautiful" She said.  
  
The comment made Link smile "Other than the Kokiri village, this is my favourite place in all the places I've visited. You see that big house over there?" Link asked, pointing to one of the newly built ones, and one of the few which were finished. "That's our new home"  
  
"It's great" she said turning to Link and hugging him "I love it"  
  
"Zelda said it was completely furnished and everything."  
  
Saria was remembering back to the palace and guessed how the furnishing would be like "Oh, it's that fancy?"  
  
"Heh, no. It's furnished just like one of the regular houses here. I made sure of it"  
  
Saria looked into Link's blue eyes, and hugged him again, whispering a "thank you"  
  
Link was a little confused, "For what?"  
  
"Everything." she said smiling. She was with Link.  
  
I'm not even going to bother to guess when the next chapter is out, my estimations are always so far off. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter (now that I've got all the prologue chapters out, I can finally get to the more interesting thins). Please review! 


	14. The Gerudo

It didn't take me over several months to update again. Yay! I hope you enjoy this chapter ^_^ (sorry for the length, I'll try to make it longer next time)  
  
The bloody mess was enough to make the hardiest of men vomit. The victim was covered with blood and dirt, and omitted a foul smell of death. In examining the hands of the poor sod, you could see that pieces of skin and muscles had been ripped out, in some places, you could see the white bone of his knuckles. It was like that all over his body. His chest was the most gruesome... Large portions of flesh had been cut. 'ripped' off, showing the bones of the ribs and some parts of internal organs. And his face was dead white, with eyes wide open with horror.  
  
"Not another one." The guard said mournfully. Finding bodies like this was almost a daily event for them.  
  
"They say the monster rips off the flesh with his teeth rather than a blade. Some. 'Leftovers' are normally found around the body," The second guard said. "The teeth imprints are definitely not those of some creature. They're definitely made by a Gerudo, since Hylians have completely different jaw structures"  
  
"They look the same to me"  
  
"That would be because you're an ignoramus! Culture and skin is not the only thing that separates the Gerudo and us. There are many more biological differences. The reason why their ears don't point and the majority of births are women."  
  
"How do you know all this?"  
  
"I read it in a book once. Forgot the name. Most people of the castle know these things"  
  
"Well, at least bodies like these are showing up less and less. That's a good sign, right?"  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
"And that's Death Mountain" Link said. Link and Saria were atop the watchtower in Kakariko. Saria was desperately clutching on to the fence of the platform with fear of falling. She had never been at such a high point from ground.  
  
"D-doesn't sound like such a nice place" Saria said.  
  
"Actually I still have no clue as to why they named it Death Mountain. The mountain is the home of Gorons. They're real fun. if a slight bit clumsy and dangerous to be around"  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"The Gorons love rolling into balls and going down slopes. I was nearly hit by one once. Something rolling with that kind of speed and weight and in such a dangerous place could kill unsuspecting wayfarers."  
  
"Why would they want to hurt people?"  
  
"They don't. They have barely any idea where they're going when they roll. It would be a complete accident."  
  
Now Saria was really confused. "So how do they know if they're rolling off a cliff or not?"  
  
"I've never seen that happen, but something tells me, that if it did, the Goron would barely feel it."  
  
The only Goron, Saria had ever seen, was Darunia. So she had a vague image in her head of him rolling awkwardly down the slopes of Death Mountain. The thought made her giggle a little. Then looking down again by accident, fear returned. She let go of the fencing and grabbed Link instead.  
  
"Saria, there's nothing to worry about, the tower won't collapse. Here, let go of me for a second so I can prove it to you"  
  
Saria did as Link said and let go. She was feeling a little calmer now, at least until Link started jumping up and down repeatedly. "Ahhh! Stop it!" She grabbed Link by the legs to keep him from jumping. Link was laughing hysterically, enjoying every moment of it. "That wasn't funny!"  
  
"What in the name of the goddesses are you two doing up there!?" Loki's voice came, flying up to them from the ground.  
  
Behind him came Navi flying after Loki saying "Lighten up".  
  
"Bah!" he replied, scowling at Navi. Of course Saria couldn't notice since the fairy was too small.  
  
With her fears leaving again, she started laughing at the quarrels between Loki and Navi. It really was a great view. "Look Link, the sun's setting!"  
  
Link just smiled at Saria. In truth, he's seen the sun set from up here many times before and even once from the top of Death Mountain. However all those times, he watched it alone (well, he did have Navi). At least this time he got to watch it with his best friend. It really was a beautiful sight, but the real beauty of it came with each other's company. Saria, just like Link, wouldn't have enjoyed it half as much if he wasn't here by her side. After the sun went down, it started to rain lightly.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
The bolt of lightning lit up the night sky, while the fierce roaring of thunder was unleashed. The light rain had increased exponentially. It was now a storm. Everyone was indoors. Everyone, but one person. Even though he was walking on grass and mud, his footsteps made much noise, almost echoing in the village. He was searching for something. He had to find where it was. Something was pulling him there. He looked from house to house, not knowing which one it was.  
  
'There you fool!' a voice whispered in his head. The house was newly built and clearly designed to hold two people. There was no sign of light or movement inside. That was the house he was after, he was sure of it. He walked up to it slowly.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Loki, Navi, Link and Saria were all asleep. It was one big mix of a bedroom, with 2 beds, a living room and kitchen like most other houses with a door leading off to the bathroom. Just like back with the Kokiri, Saria and Link were both sleeping fully clothed. They were all sleeping peacefully. except for Loki. He was having a nightmare, and it was driving him slightly mad. He knew something wasn't right. Leaving Saria's side, he started to float upward until he heard the doorknob being turned slowly.  
  
Panicked with fear of who could be at the door, he whispered loudly in Saria's ear, "Saria." He continued to whisper that. The turning stopped. Whoever was trying to get in realised the door was locked. He continued whispering nervously.  
  
Saria was not enjoying Loki's attempts to get her up. She had an exhausting day and needed sleep badly. "What!?" She whispered, not opening her eyes or moving much.  
  
It was then the turning continued, MUCH more violently this time. This made Saria immediately get up while Link was just waking up, with very little understanding of what was going on. The door was kicked down and they were able to see who was the intruder. A mixture of shock and horror was plastered on everyone's face. At the doorway, was a tall and broad man, with dead-white skin, open wounds without any fresh blood all over his body, his skin, clearly decaying with age. However, they could all recognise the creature as none other than Ganondorf.  
  
Ganondorf, with loud and heavy steps started to walk up to Saria. "Link! Get up! Now!" Loki screamed.  
  
"How is he..?" Navi started to ask.  
  
"Now's a very bad time to ask questions, just kill him!" Loki scolded.  
  
Saria couldn't move. She had never actually met Ganondorf face to face. This abomination left her petrified. Link grabbed his sword. He knew his efforts to attack him would be hopeless. He ran up to the villain, expecting him to use some of his magic. But he had to at least try! He raised his sword which was very unimpressive compared to the master sword.  
  
However, very unexpectedly, the sword made contact, and severed Ganondorf's arm. Completely surprised and shocked, Link just stood over the fallen arm wondering how that happened. Even though one of his arms had just been severed, no blood leaked, and he didn't slow down at all. He just continued towards Saria.  
  
"Link! What are you waiting for!? Finish him off!" Loki commanded.  
  
Snapping out of his trance, Link jumped and aimed another blow but this time to his neck. Ganondorf's head came right off, making a loud sound when hitting the ground, as did the rest of his body. Then his remains started disintegrating like magic, and all that was left was dust.  
  
Both Saria and Link were completely speechless. Only Navi broke the silence when she asked "What was that!? I thought Ganondorf was dead!"  
  
Another pause of silence came, and as if they completely ignored the question, Saria ran towards Link to hug him, as if searching for protection and comfort. Tears came from her eyes. Just a moment ago, she could've died. Link was hugging back. He never wanted her to witness the horrors that he had to with Ganondorf.  
  
"He was" Loki finally replied.  
  
"Then how.?" Navi began to ask.  
  
"Undead. His soul is still trapped in the sacred realm, but apparently, someone has been able to retrieve his body and revive it"  
  
"Who would do such a horrible thing?" Link asked.  
  
"I don't know" Loki lied, in truth, he had a pretty good idea about who did it. "But in case you haven't noticed, that attack was directed at Saria, not Link. He was sent to kill her"  
  
"By who!?" Link asked, getting very angry.  
  
"Whoever revived him" Loki answered simply.  
  
Please read and review! I hope the part about Ganondorf didn't confuse you too much. If it did then I'll put a better explanation of it in the next chapter. 


	15. Sweet Dreams

I think this is the longest chapter yet! I hope you all enjoy this one :) I especially enjoyed writing it. Don't forget to review ^_^  
  
**************************  
  
"I don't know! Stop asking me that question!" Loki yelled angrily at Link. It was morning, and none of them got any sleep after the incident that occurred last night. "I don't know who would've sent Ganondorf after Saria, alright? I don't always have all the answers." Loki didn't know how much more he could lie like this. If they dug into it any further, it would surely result in Saria's death.  
  
"Well, if it wasn't after me . . . then maybe it was after all the sages! All their lives could be in danger right now as we speak" Link concluded.  
  
"I . . . I don't think that's it Link" Saria said quietly, still a little frightened from last night.  
  
"Saria, if you have some ideas, now would be a very good time to share them" Link said.  
  
"Well . . ." She was going to say that Zelda sent the zombie after her, but that would be revealing too much to Link, not to mention it would get him upset. 'No one accuses the fair and noble princess Zelda' Saria thought sarcastically to herself. She still couldn't get over the way Zelda glared at her and charmed Link.  
  
"Well?" Link asked, a little impatient.  
  
Saria needed to find a way to get out of this quickly. "Uh, well I'm still a little confused as to how a zombie Ganondorf could even be created. I thought he was trapped in the sacred realm," She said with an inquisitive tone, looking at Loki for the answers since he seemed to have more than any of them.  
  
"Only his spirit was trapped in the sacred realm. His body was completely decimated by Link though, no question of that." Loki replied with complete confidence.  
  
"Then how did the body come to be? Time was suppose to reset, so that means that his body would've been gone too, right?"  
  
"It must've took very powerful magic to store Ganondorf's body through the time warp. Whoever is behind this knew Ganondorf was going to die, and must've been watching your battle closely. It was only a few minutes later that the time warp occurred, so he must've had every spell necessary ready." Loki answered.  
  
Saria just stared at the pile of dust that used to be Ganondorf's walking remains. "You know, we should really get that dust into a jar or some kind of container." Navi said.  
  
"I-I'll do it" Saria said, still a little nervous. She grabbed a nearby urn and used a little wind spell to pick it up and get it into the urn. She put the urn back into a corner and sealed it. It was morning now, the sun was out and people were walking around outside. "I'm going outside for a bit of fresh air alright? You guys, just stay here." She said.  
  
She walked out of the house, to find that the wet grass and mud made it rather slippery. She ignored it however, and decided to climb onto the roof of the other houses until she could get the perfect view of the village. She sat on one of the roofs, hugging her knees and burying her face in them.  
  
Then it started. Tears flowed forth slowly, as she started to sob. 'Why does it have to be like this?' she wondered to herself. Ever since she left the forest, nothing seemed to have been going her way. First with Malon, though she wasn't that bad. She was actually pretty nice and courteous. But Saria's jealously still got to her.  
  
Next came Zelda, the princess of Hyrule. She was horrible compared to Malon. She was so full of herself that it made Saria so mad, and Link couldn't even see it. Those two were even more chummy than when he was with Malon.  
  
Oh, but then things started looking up again, that is until someone made an attempt on Saria's life. 'Why is fate so cruel?' she asked herself. She just let the tears flow. She didn't even try to make them stop like before, it was just so pointless.  
  
"Saria?" Link called as he jumped from roof to roof to get on the one she was sitting on. She barely turned her head to see who it was. "Saria . . . are you alright?" he asked, as he finally got to the right roof. He sat down right next to her, a little worried to see her head resting upon her knees like that with a tear-stained face.  
  
"I'm fine." She answered, sobbing a little. 'I'm just in love with the sweetest guy in Hyrule who just happens to have two other girls contending for his love' She thought to herself. There was now way she was actually going to say that out loud though.  
  
Link, figuring she was still upset over the Ganondorf incident, put his arm around her and started wiping away the tears with his free one. He was doing his best to comfort her, much as she sometimes did for him back in the forest. There was always one thing that used to cheer him up when she was comforting him, tough he wasn't sure if he should do it to her.  
  
However, Saria really needed some cheering so he decided to just do it. He kissed Saria on the red cheek that was facing him. This made Saria sigh with almost complete delight, but she didn't have the energy left to hold it back. A few sobs and tears remained, before her head fell onto Link's supporting shoulder as she started to drift off into sleep due to all the crying that she did and the little sleep she got last night.  
  
"Sweet dreams" Link whispered. Those were the last words she heard before falling asleep.  
  
***************************  
  
"Um. Your majesty?" a rather skinny, red haired hylian asked.  
  
"Excuse me?" the princess Zelda asked, a little startled by the man who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. He must've been one of the many servants of the castle.  
  
"A young boy, named Link, I believe that was it . . . Oh! Yes, he asked me to give you this letter." The man said, bowing down and handing the girl the folded letter.  
  
The smile of Zelda's face grew ever so widely, as she quickly grabbed the letter. "Thank you kind sir" she graciously said to the messenger. Just to find that he was nowhere in sight. 'That's odd . . .' she thought to herself. But at the moment, she was a little too busy to care of his whereabouts. She quickly unfolded the letter so that she may read it.  
  
***********************  
  
Saria's eyes fluttered open, yawning and stretching as if she's had a full night's rest. Well, it more like she had a full day's rest really. It was night outside, and she had no idea how long she was asleep.  
  
"I never thought it was possible for someone to sleep 15 hours . . ." the ever so sarcastic voice of Loki muttered. "I mean, I understand 10. Or maybe even 12. But 15!? A little excessive don't you think!?"  
  
"We had to stop Loki everytime he tried to get a bucket." Navi interjected.  
  
"Well, it would've gotten her up wouldn't it!?"  
  
"She needed rest!"  
  
"12 hours IS enough rest!"  
  
The argument the two fairies lasted on and on, making Saria giggle. It moved on from that to interesting witticisms to downright petty insults. This made Saria smile, until her eyes fell upon Link once more. He was unfazed by the fairies' argument, not a smile, or a laugh or anything. He was shadow fighting enemies of the past. She noticed that Link was fighting very defensively, always keeping his shield, and jumping to dodge the imaginary swings being taken at him. Saria wasn't quite sure where he learnt how to fight so well. She knew he had some training with the 'Know It All' brothers before he was able to visit the Great Deku Tree. It must've come with experience.  
  
"Link?" Saria asked, trying to get him to stop. He was a little to into the fighting, and it was starting to frighten her.  
  
Her interjection seemed to have worked since he stopped swinging his sword through the air. "Huh. Oh, you're awake" he said with a content smile, as we walked toward the bed she was resting in. "I hope you slept well."  
  
It was to see the caring and compassionate side of him again. "I did" she said smiling. 'Thanks to you anyway' she thought secretly. She could look into Link's big cerulean eyes all night long. If they were alone that is . . .  
  
"What would you know, sourpuss!!" Navi's voice shrieked.  
  
"A hell of a lot more than you, that's for sure!!" Loki replied.  
  
"Cut it out already!" Link scolded.  
  
Both fairies stopped what they were doing, turned to face Link and both said "He/She started it!"  
  
Both Link and Saria couldn't help but roll their eyes. "Come now Saria, supper's waiting"  
  
Saria was more than little frightened by that statement. "You cooked?"  
  
"Well, what if I did!?" Link asked, pretending to be insulted.  
  
"We'd all die slow and horribly painful deaths?" Saria joked.  
  
Link couldn't help but laugh a little. "Well, then you'll be happy to know that I got the food from some of our fellow townsfolk"  
  
"Right, I almost forgot that we live here now." she said smiling.  
  
************************  
  
Impa found it a little disturbing that Zelda seemed so quiet and nervous for the past few hours. Ever since she read that letter that is. Zelda was pacing back and forth for over a period of several hours now, holding onto the letter in heavy thought. Impa wasn't sure if she should interrupt her or not. No, she most definitely had to ask.  
  
"Princess?"  
  
Zelda looked at he guardian, a little shocked. "Impa! I'm sorry, I didn't see you come in"  
  
"I just got here an hour or two ago . . ." She replied, leaving no hint of emotion in her tone.  
  
"Oh dear, I'm sorry about that" Zelda replied, still looking nervous.  
  
"Are the contents of that letter private?" She asked.  
  
Zelda got the hint, and decided to tell her. "It's from Link . . ." She wasn't sure if she should continue or not, but Impa's gaze prompted her to go further. "It says . . . that an undead version of Ganondorf was sent to kill Saria"  
  
Impa's eyes widened at this, "What?" she said in shock.  
  
"His theory, is that all of the sages lives are in danger. All the other details are in this letter" she said anding it to Impa. "It seems as though he was what was killing all the people in town"  
  
"Ganondorf was here under our noses all along? How come we couldn't sense him?"  
  
"Maybe . . . because he was here only in body."  
  
***********************  
  
I really do hope you found that to be worth the wait. Oh, and review! I always love reviews! 


	16. Cliffhangers

Hades: Hi people! I'm finally back with a brand new chapter! Okay... it was a couple of months late... sorry... I won't do that again. I wouldn't say this is my best chapter yet... but I still hope you enjoy it.  
  
Oh... and I've come to the shocking realisation that my previous chapters had MANY spelling mistakes. I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience, I will be fixing those in the near future!  
  
Oh, right, one more important thing... In no way am I bashing Zelda in this story... any Zelda bashing in this story exists only in Saria's mind... Thank you and...  
  
Enjoy!  
  
********************  
  
"So... you're leaving?" Saria asked Link at the entrance of Kakariko village. The sun was setting and Link was already mounted on Epona, with Navi at his side. It's been 4 days since the 'Undead Ganondorf' incident.  
  
"I'm sorry, I really feel bad about leaving you alone and all. But I need to know more about this. I've got to go and meet up with Zelda." Link said, apologetically.  
  
'Of course you do.' Saria muttered to herself quietly. Link probably couldn't even hear it. "You probably won't make it to the castle in time though. Why don't you stay for the night and leave at dawn?"  
  
"Don't worry, if the gates are closed, I can always just stay at Lon Lon Ranch for the night." Saria frowned slightly at this. Link seemed completely oblivious to it however. He was clueless to the fact that he was not comforting her at all.  
  
"Where's Loki?" Navi asked curiously, sort of floating around in the air.  
  
"Inside the house, I think."  
  
Navi's curious and docile tone quickly changed to her usual energetic mood. "Tell him that I hope he gets hit by rock!"  
  
Saria smiled slightly, "I'll give him the message." It was amazing, to see two fairies get along so poorly.  
  
"I'll try to come back as soon as I can." Link said with a concerned voice. "I won't leave you alone anymore than I have to."  
  
"Promise?" Saria asked.  
  
"Of course, I still have to show you the rest of Hyrule!" Link replied enthusiastically.  
  
Saria smiled, before realising that he was still leaving her. "When will you be back?"  
  
"Soon."  
  
"That doesn't tell me much..."  
  
Link looked towards the setting sun. It was close to nightfall. "Sorry Saria. But I have to leave now if I hope to get to the castle on time."  
  
Saria thought about making him late on purpose. But she was more worried about Link running into something... dangerous. "Just... just be careful." She said.  
  
"I will." He said, as he galloped away. Pretty soon, he was completely out of view. There were still some people walking around in the village. The ground was no longer muddy and slippery. Saria walked by some of the houses and looked up at Death Mountain. She was starting to feel lonely. Really lonely. She thought about leaving town, but she knew what might happen. So, she just decided to go home.  
  
*****  
  
"Loki? You still here?" Saria asked as she walked in her house.  
  
"No, I'm not here... I'm a figment of your imagination..." Loki's usual sarcastic tone greeted her.  
  
Saria just rolled her eyes at his comment. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Navi told me to tell you to get hit by a rock." She said, as she paced around the room, trying to find the little fairy.  
  
"That's nice. Is there anything else that you want to tell me that you know I won't care about?"  
  
"Is there a particular reason why you're so grumpy right now? This is odd even for you." She said, looking around the room some more, noticing that Loki wasn't anywhere in sight. "Where are you anyway?"  
  
"Well... in case you haven't noticed..." Loki started. Saria realised that his voice was slightly muffled. The sound of his words weren't all too clear, and had a slight echoing effect.  
  
"I'm still confused. where are you exactly?" She asked again, looking around the room for the faintest glow.  
  
"Do you happen to see an upside down vase anywhere in the room?" Now that he mentioned, Saria did notice a knocked over vase on the floor. "Do you see it?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Loki started screaming. Saria couldn't help but giggle at the fairy's misfortune. She picked up the vase and put it back in its place.  
  
"What were you doing in there anyway?" The fairy, covered with old dust and cobwebs, clearly looking unhappy, picked himself up from the ground and resumed his flying... or floating... whatever it is you want to call it.  
  
"Well, you see, ever since I was a child, I always wanted to see what it'd be like to be inside a vase..." He said, in the most sarcastic way possible. Saria just rolled her eyes and decided to simply ignore the fairy. Clearly, the fairy was far too ashamed to admit exactly how he got trapped in there in the first place. "So, Link is gone I take it?"  
  
"Yup, just like old times. Abandons me to go see the fair princess of Hyrule."  
  
"You're not actually mad that he left are you?"  
  
Saria made a deep sigh and paused a little before answering the question. "I guess not. Though, I wish things didn't always have to be so complicated all the time."  
  
"You also wish that he went to see someone other than the princess, don't you?" Loki said with a bit of a snicker. Saria simply glared at him for a moment. Even though Loki meant a male of power like the King or Rauru, but images of Link and Malon crossed her mind.  
  
Saria just sighed after she finished glaring at Loki. How could he understand how she felt at all anyways? Its not like fairies fall in love... or do they? Even if they did, Loki probably wouldn't be the type to talk about it. Maybe Navi would... but she didn't want to talk to her about it... what if the conversation was forwarded to Link.  
  
"So what are you going to do today?" Loki asked.  
  
"Huh? What?" Saria was a little confused by the question, as she was still partially day dreaming.  
  
"There's still an hour or two until nightfall. You're not really just going to spend all day and night moping are you?"  
  
Saria thought about Loki's question for a while. "Yeah, lets go out and wander around town for a while." She said enthusiastically. Afterall, it's better to mope outside rather than inside.  
  
"What? Hey, I've got things to do." Loki commented.  
  
Saria was starting to see Loki's true intentions. He didn't want to cheer her up at all. "You just want me out of the house don't you!?"  
  
"Yeah, that's about right." He replied calmly.  
  
Saria let out yet another sigh. "Fine, I'll have fun by myself!" She said, as she left the house.  
  
'Finally. I thought she'd never leave.'  
  
*****  
  
The sun was still setting outside, while the moon was rising, creating a nice mixture of lights. Saria looked around town, remembering how different it was from Kokiri village. There were still people out, though not many. Carpenters were finishing up some last minute construction work, while some people we're heading out to some shops for some last minute supplies, before the stores closed. There were more cuccos than people out.  
  
She briefly thought about chasing the cuccos for amusement, but decided against it. Instead she ended up, just climbing roofs for fun.  
  
'Why did Loki want me out of the house so badly?' She thought to herself, while hopping from one roof to another. 'He's been more and more secretive lately. He hesitates when asked about the Ganondorf incident, and knows a lot more about the nature or magic than most fairies...'  
  
She kept on hopping, not really paying attention to what she was doing. 'I wonder whether Link ended up going to Lon Lon Ranch afterall... it's quite some way between here and Hyrule castle... even on horseback...'  
  
Saria just kept thinking to herself, paying no heed to the world around her. 'I wonder if he's...' Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted, by the shock of noticing that her foot didn't quite land on a roof. Saria let out a short scream as she realised that she was about to fall off the roof. She tried to maintain her balance by shifting her weight and flailing her arms, but to no avail. Saria had to at least be two stories... maybe even three, above ground. She fell.  
  
*****  
  
Loki was searching throughout the small house in great frustration. He looked in every drawer, cupboard, desk, vase, and even the fireplace that was being used as a heater and a stove. He even looked for cracks in the wall and searched for loose planks but he just couldn't seem to find what he was looking for.  
  
'She had to have used one of these houses... Alace said that they were going to follow him back to Kakariko village.' Loki thought to himself in frustration. 'She would've left a sign, or something...'  
  
'Maybe it was one of the other houses... But how am I going to search them?' Loki just sighed at his thoughts and continued rummaging.  
  
*****  
  
"Hey! Link! Slow down!" Navi protested, as Link was making galloping at an unbelievable speed.  
  
"I can't, we need to get there in time!" Link replied.  
  
"Link, Epona's tired, she can't go on galloping like this."  
  
"But..." Link started, but Navi interrupted.  
  
"But what? You're not the Hero of Time anymore. You don't need to go see the princess anymore because of duty."  
  
Link brought the horse to a stop. He looked at his fairy that slipped out of his hat. "You don't HAVE to do anything anymore. Just because you think you do, doesn't mean poor Epona here has to suffer." Epona neighed a little, as if understanding Navi's comment.  
  
"So... What should I do?" Link said, seeing the logic in Navi's words.  
  
"Lets go to the Ranch, so Epona can rest up a bit. You can see Malon, and then in the morning, we can head to the castle." Again Epona neighed, almost as if she was agreeing with Navi. "See?"  
  
"Alright, I guess it would be fun to see Malon again." Link said. 'I hope Saria's okay by herself...' He thought secretly to himself.  
  
*****  
  
Zelda was pacing through the hallways of the castle, thinking to herself about the recent happenings. What in the world, is powerful enough to reanimate Ganondorf's dead body and control it so easily? If all the sages lives were in danger... Why was Saria the first target? There had to be a reason for going after the forest sage first. The person who has enough power to raise the dead, should've been able to kill them all at once. Why toy with them?  
  
'I just don't get it...' Zelda thought to herself.  
  
********************  
  
Hades: I know... it was short... and late... and not exactly worth the wait... I'm really sorry... But hey! Cliffhangers all around! At least I won't have to worry about writer's block since I know what happens. ;-) Anyways, please review! 


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